Ireland: Former Dublin Pride finance director to be sentenced for over €10,000 theft

A former financial director for Dublin Pride has pleaded guilty to stealing more than €10,000 (£8,500) from the organisation, and is due to be sentenced next January.

The Irish Times reports that John Finucane, 35, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Court to multiple counts of theft from Dublin pride, totalling €10,403 (£8,865).

The thefts took place over nine weeks, between October 29th and December 11th, 2011.

Finucane, who had access to two of the organisation’s credit cards, used the money to pay for hotel rooms and entrances to nightclubs for himself and his then partner. He also bought Christmas presents for his family and friends, as well as flowers for his partner’s mother.

He told gardaí he had been planning to kill himself and was expecting that a payment due to him could be used, upon his death, to reimburse Dublin Pride.

Lorcan Staines BL, defending, said: “He had made a decision on what he was going to do with his life and had decided to rain gifts on people.”

However, Mr Staines later told Judge Mary Ellen Ring that Finucane’s parents did not know about his involvement in the offence, and he did not have the funds to reimburse the organisation.

Judge Ring said Finucane’s actions were “a significant betrayal”.

She adjourned the case until next January, and ordered a probation report for that date. Finucane has since been remanded on continual bail.

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